Field
The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for switching between a wireless local area network (LAN) and a cellular network for a user equipment's (UE) data communication by passively sensing the load on the wireless LAN.
Background Art
Data communications of UEs are increasingly on rise. Video streaming, web browsing, text and multimedia messaging, etc. are examples of UE's data communications that are congesting the cellular air interface and its backhaul. Long Term Evolution (LTE) (which is based on Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)/GSM Evolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)/High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network technologies) is a wireless communications standard that supports high-speed data for a UE. LTE has increased data capacity. However, cellular network operators are encouraging users of UEs to switch (offload) their bandwidth intensive applications to wireless LANs, such as WiFi networks, which can have a direct connection to a core backbone network such as a Public Data Network (PDN).
Cellular networks are evolving to Heterogeneous networks. A Heterogeneous network can include a macrocell (a cell in a cellular network that provides coverage using a cellular base station), a picocell (a small cellular base station covering a small area), a Femttocell (a small, low-power cellular base station, usually used in a home or small business), WiFi hotspots, relays, etc. Heterogeneous networks (HetNet), which connect different access technologies, can improve capacity and/or coverage. Many UEs automatically switch their data communications from a cellular network to a wireless LAN when they detect the wireless LAN. Although wireless LANs, such as WiFi networks, typically provide higher throughput than cellular networks, such as 3G (the 3rd Generation), however, user experience after switching to the wireless LAN can be unpredictable. A user's experience in the wireless LAN is a function of the “user load” on the network. The wireless LAN is a shared medium with limited effective resources per user. Therefore, UE can experience a better data communication on the cellular network, if the wireless LAN that UE has found is serving too many users, or pre-existing users with substantial bandwidth requirements. Conventionally, the switch between the cellular network and the wireless LAN occurs based on signal strength. Also, the user of the UE can manually disable or enable the wireless LAN option on the UE for a more predictable experience and battery life.
The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.